Palos Hills Public Works crews are wrapping up this year’s construction season, but before shifting into winter work mode the city is guaranteeing several current projects will be completed.

The Illinois Department of Transportation performed an unscheduled asphalt overlay to repair all four lanes of traffic on 111th Street from Southwest Highway to Harlem Ave. recently.

“The overlay was necessary due to potholes and delamination of the road surface along 111th Street,” Commissioner, Dave Weakley, stated at Thursday’s city council meeting.

There was another problem on Kean Ave. stretching from 111th Street to 95th Street, where the Illinois Department of Transportation completed an edge of road patching program due to the slippary surface course of asphalt. This is the second time in three years the city has patched and replaced the asphalt on that section of Kean Ave., Weakley said. Mayor Jerry Bennett noted the city is using asphalt approved by IDOT; however, officials are hoping to eventually see a better product come along after having to replace Kean Avenue so soon after the previous repair.

“The problem is, unless it is an IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation) approved product, we cannot use it,” Bennett said.

In other construction news, the 88th Avenue reconstruction project is nearing its final phase. “Final inspections and punch lists have been completed and the county contractor will be making adjustments or repairs as needed to the sidewalks and curbs along 88th Avenue before the construction season ends,” Alderman Frank Williams (5th Ward) said on behalf of the Public Works Department.

Public Works crews are also working to complete the last few asphalt patches and concrete repairs throughout the city before the first snow of the winter season. With the winter season just around the corner, crews are already prepping for the holiday season.

“Christmas street light decorations are being inspected, repaired, painted and new LED bulbs are being retrofitted into the decorations,” Williams added.

Christmas decorations will be going up throughout the city within the upcoming weeks.

To better control the flooding at Glacier Park, 7800 W. 101st Street, during the holiday season, for ice skating, Public Works crews have installed a new flood control structure.

“The structure we have installed should help stop water leakage from the pond, preventing the formation of hollow ice pockets,” Weakley reported, “Maintenance and landscaping work will also be done around the park next week.”

Some other winter scheduled work this season from the Palos Hills Public Works Department will include: ash tree removals due to Emerald Ash Borer, sanitary sewer lift station inspection (including maintenance and line cleaning), illegal sump pump inspections, street sign maintenance and water main valve inspections and operations.